The Living Remain

About

"The Living Remain" is a VR first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead. As soldier Grant Montgomery, players must survive and scavenge for resources while searching for their family. With the help of an ally over the radio, they will explore diverse environments and upgrade their arsenal in this story-driven campaign.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 146 reviews

story26 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and a well-crafted atmosphere, making it visually appealing and immersive.
The combat mechanics are satisfying, with effective gunplay and a variety of weapons that enhance the gameplay experience.
The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on improvements, showing commitment to enhancing the game over time.

The game suffers from various bugs and technical issues, including problems with weapon handling and movement controls, particularly for Valve Index users.
The pacing can feel linear and restrictive, with some players experiencing frustration due to unclear objectives and lack of exploration options.
The game lacks a crouch button and has awkward interactions with the environment, leading to moments of frustration when navigating through tight spaces.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
5%
The game's story is generally well-received, praised for its immersive and engaging narrative, though some players find it linear and short, with a playtime of around 5-6 hours. While the voice acting and atmosphere are commendable, the story is often described as generic or lacking depth compared to other titles in the genre. Many players express hope for future expansions or additional content to enhance the storyline further.
- “I love this game and the story is amazing. I really just wish there was more, and I hope you guys make more games like this that keep me wanting.”
- “The world is atmospheric, detailed, and believable with decent voice acting and a compelling (if not exactly groundbreaking) story.”
- “From the start of the game to the end, it's a wild ride with hordes of zombies, explosions, and none too taxing puzzles that progress the story.”
- “The story isn't heavy and kinda feels like just a reason to have the player do what he is doing and going where he needs to go, but that is fine because it allowed the developers to get that 'survival' feel across better.”
- “The story and its progression seem much weaker and more mediocre than Arizona Sunshine - but I guess the devs behind The Living Remains have a much more limited budget.”
- “A story that's more boring than reading tax code while at the DMV.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
40%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the visuals on ultra settings and noting smooth performance, particularly on high-end hardware like the RTX 3090. While some players find the graphics beautiful and immersive, others criticize certain elements as dated or lacking depth, particularly in environments and specific areas like the skybox. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, especially for an indie title, but opinions vary on its overall quality and execution.
- “The graphics are amazing.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, gunplay is fun and it's really immersive.”
- “If you're looking for a zombie game with great visuals and scenery, I recommend this game!”
- “Graphics are still quite dated and a bit of work to the physics would definitely have helped.”
- “Graphics are fairly flat and forgettable.”
- “Like the background graphics (the sky) looks like something from a 90s game, with so low resolution you can barely make out what it is.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a slower-paced, immersive zombie shooting experience that emphasizes manual reloading and a variety of mechanics, including climbing and puzzles. While the combat is generally satisfying and the atmosphere tense, some players noted clunky mechanics, particularly with weapon handling and reloading, as well as a desire for more diverse gameplay elements and longer playtime. Overall, the game offers enjoyable moments and solid mechanics, but improvements are needed to enhance the overall experience.
- “It's got everything I want in a VR zombie game - combat is visceral and satisfying with a decent variety of weapons that are fun to use, including one of the best VR pump-action shotguns I've ever used. There are various fun and interesting game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay switches between tense and spooky, action-packed, and environmental puzzles.”
- “The gameplay holds up throughout the entire game and the varied environments all ended up being very well done.”
- “The mechanics are quite clunky and need improvement, especially holstering weapons (when seated), reloading, and getting ammo from over your shoulder. The climbing mechanic was the most fluid and fairly easy to do.”
- “The weapons and mechanics surrounding them are pretty rough on the side of lacking. I found that most of the guns felt completely inaccurate to the point of being frustrating to use; it seemed like hits were just not registering.”
- “It's a little clunky, invisible walls are everywhere, puzzles can be solved in one and only one manner, and I encountered a bug or two during the first 90 minutes or so of gameplay.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and detailed environments, creating a compelling and tense experience reminiscent of titles like Resident Evil. Players appreciate the smooth performance and well-crafted locations, which enhance the overall vibe, despite some critiques regarding linearity and campaign length. The combination of engaging combat mechanics and atmospheric design contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The vibe and atmosphere are on point, and the game's performance was as smooth as butter.”
- “The world is atmospheric, detailed and believable with decent voice acting and a compelling (if not exactly groundbreaking) story.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and immersive.”
- “The atmosphere at times has a Resident Evil vibe, but it often feels lacking in depth and immersion.”
- “While the game has some interesting mechanics, the overall atmosphere fails to create a truly engaging experience.”
- “The atmosphere is inconsistent, with some areas feeling empty and uninspired despite the potential for tension.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with players reporting smooth performance even on mid-range hardware, such as a 2060 laptop, allowing for high graphics settings and steady FPS. However, some users noted that the game may not be fully optimized in its early stages, suggesting there is still room for improvement.
- “The vibe and atmosphere are on point, and the game's performance was as smooth as butter.”
- “The game has nice pacing, nice story, nice music, nice voice acting, nice combat (minus the melee), and it is very nicely optimized.”
- “The game is so well optimized; I played it on a 2060 laptop and had almost everything on high, and it was beautiful with steady FPS.”
- “The only thing I did not like, besides the small campaign (for now), is that it was a little linear. Most of the game takes place inside and has a lot of hallways (not everything is a hallway, but it's close enough). The atmosphere and environments are beautiful, and some of them are claustrophobic (which is good). However, the game is so well optimized; I played it on a 2060 laptop with almost everything on high, and it was beautiful with steady FPS. I suggest trying the VR performance kit from GitHub to enable FSR for better performance.”
- “It has a lot of potential, but I guess it's not quite optimized in this early stage.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in the game is noted for its eerie quality, effectively enhancing tense moments; however, some players feel that the same track is reused too frequently throughout various creepy situations, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite this, the music is generally appreciated as part of the game's strong pacing and atmosphere.
- “The game has nice pacing, nice story, nice music, nice voice acting, nice combat (minus the melee), and it is very nicely optimized.”
- “Like very early in the game, you enter this warehouse building and I realized the eerie music you hear is being used over and over again; it wasn't just for that part of the campaign. Throughout the game, until the very end, if you're ever in a scary situation, you hear the same eerie song.”
- “So very quickly, I found that they reuse the same eerie song when you're in a creepy situation.”
- “I quickly found that they reuse the same eerie song when you're in a creepy situation.”
- “Very early in the game, you enter a warehouse building and I realized the eerie music you hear is being used over and over again. It wasn't just for that part of the campaign; throughout the game, until the very end, if you're ever in a scary situation, you hear the same eerie song.”
- “The repetitive use of the same eerie music throughout the game really detracts from the overall atmosphere.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its limited replayability, primarily due to a short campaign that lasts around 4.3 hours. While some players appreciate the option to experiment with different weapons in subsequent playthroughs, many feel that the lack of additional content or modes diminishes the incentive to replay once the main story is completed.
- “It needs some replayability improvements or a much longer campaign.”
- “The only downsides to this game are its length, which is too short; it took me 4.3 hours to beat on my first playthrough on normal difficulty, and another thing I found annoying is the lack of replay value. Once the main story is over, that's it.”
- “This adds replay value as you can do a run focusing on certain weapons and then try something else next time.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is inconsistent, with some users reporting minor glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay, while others experience severe issues that prevent them from progressing past the tutorial.
- “There are some glitches in places, but nothing game-breaking.”
- “Completely broken; I couldn't even get past the tutorial, it's so damn buggy.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game compelling, as it evokes a sense of tension and survival amidst a deteriorating environment, highlighting the lingering presence of hope and human resilience despite the chaos.
- “It was neat as it made me feel like things have gotten bad, but it's not like everyone is gone yet. Some people are still hunkering down and obviously paranoid about that guy popping zombies in the street.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game launched unexpectedly, with no prior marketing or advertisements, suggesting a low-key approach to monetization that may impact its visibility and player acquisition.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the experience.”
- “It seems like the developers prioritize profit over player satisfaction, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find humor in the game's mechanics, particularly in discovering exploits like retaining upgrade points by reloading checkpoints, which adds a lighthearted twist to the gameplay experience.
- “This, funny enough, led me to an exploit: you can keep the upgrade points you use on your weapons by loading your last checkpoint.”
- “The humor in this game is so clever; I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and absurd situations.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with hilarious character interactions and unexpected punchlines.”